Category: Sacramento Kings Blog

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Nov 24: Blazers 91, Kings 90

The AP reports: Greg Oden returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Portland’s season opener, against an opponent the Blazers had beaten on the road by 21 points four days ago. An easy night’s work? Not even close. Brandon Roy scored a season-high 28 points and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied during the final six minutes to beat the Sacramento Kings 91-90 on Monday night. Joel Przybilla added 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Steve Blake had 12 points for the Blazers… Oden, the first pick of the 2007 NBA draft, had three points, six rebounds, and four turnovers in 19 ineffective minutes. Sacramento had some of its best stretches on offense when Oden was on the floor in the second half… John Salmons led Sacramento with 20 points and had a chance to win the game, but his drive to the basket with two seconds remaining came up short of the rim… Brad Miller added 18 points and Beno Udrih had 17 for Sacramento.

Kings overworked in November

The Sacramento Bee (Sam Amick) reports:  By the time November is done, the Kings will have played a league-high 17 games during the month. Utah, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City will share the distinction, with the Kings and Jazz the only two that will go the entire month without more than one day between any of their games. The Kings have four sets of back-to-back games in all, with two this week (at the Lakers on Sunday and at Portland today; at Utah on Friday and home against Dallas on Saturday). The combination of the two major factors to the season’s start was, quite obviously, far from ideal. Kings coach Reggie Theus said the only solution is to continue focusing on the bigger picture. “One thing is for sure is that you can’t worry about the end result,” he said. “We just have to keep playing and finding a way to play. … But we have to accept where we are, what our goals are, and understand that the fight to get to the next place is always there.”

Nov 23: Lakers 118, Kings 108

The AP reports: The Lakers committed 18 turnovers Sunday night, which the Kings converted into 30 points. But Kobe Bryant was good when he had to be, scoring 24 points and dishing out six assists to help the defending Western Conference champs beat the Kings 118-108 and improve the NBA’s best record to 11-1… All five Lakers starters reached double figures in points by the third quarter, as they won for the fourth straight time since losing to Detroit at home. Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Pau Gasol chipped in with 16 points… John Salmons led Sacramento with 24 points and reserve Bobby Brown added 21. Kevin Martin was sidelined for the eighth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle and Mikki Moore missed his fourth straight because of a sprained right ankle.

Agent to be Kings assistant GM

The Sacramento Bee (Sam Amick) reports:  The Kings will add a piece to their front office next month, when attorney and agent Jason Levien is expected to join the team as assistant general manager. The move, which sources within the organization and close to the team say should be official in the coming weeks, marks a rare addition to the Kings’ management team that Geoff Petrie has headed for 15 years. And with an on-court rebuilding and youth movement already in effect, the franchise also is taking the same approach upstairs.

Nov 19: Kings 105, Hornets 96

The AP reports: For three quarters, Bobby Jackson did nothing to make the New Orleans Hornets pay for trading him last February. Then he showed them exactly what they were missing in the fourth. John Salmons scored 29 points, and Jackson had all eight of his points in the final 5:10 to help the injury-depleted Sacramento Kings surprise the New Orleans Hornets 105-96 on Wednesday night. Jackson hit a 3-pointer to give the Kings the lead for good at 90-88. He followed with a baseline jumper and a steal that led to Salmons’ layup, then finished off the Hornets with another 3-pointer from the corner that made it 99-91 with 3:08 left… David West scored 22 points, and Chris Paul added 20 points and 15 assists for New Orleans. The Hornets, coming off three days off, fell to .500 (5-5) for the first time since the end of the 2006-07 season.

Nov 18: Grizzlies 109, Kings 94

The AP reports: A three-day layoff was just what the Memphis Grizzlies needed to rejuvenate their struggling offense. Rudy Gay scored 22 points and Memphis shot a season-high 54 percent to help the Grizzlies snap a four-game losing streak with a 109-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night… Hakim Warrick added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Marc Gasol scored 16… John Salmons led the Kings with 18 points, while Spencer Hawes scored 14, hitting all seven of his shots. Rookie forward Jason Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He also had three blocks. The Kings were short-handed, playing without leading scorer Kevin Martin and forward-center Mikki Moore.

Nov 16: Spurs 90, Kings 88

The AP reports: Even without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs are still using the same formula to win games. Michael Finley scored 21 points and Tim Duncan had 20, including two key baskets in the final minute, in the Spurs’ 90-88 victory over Sacramento on Sunday night… Against the Kings, Roger Mason had 18 points, Matt Bonner added 11 and Jacque Vaughn had 10. Yet it was a tenacious fourth-quarter defense that limited the Kings to 5-of-18 shooting and gave the Spurs a 23-16 edge in the decisive final quarter… John Salmons had a season-high 31 points for the Kings, who have dropped two straight. Beno Udrih added 16 points, Quincy Douby had 12 and Brad Miller finished with 10 points and eight rebounds… The Kings continue to play without injured scoring leader Kevin Martin and top reserve Francisco Garcia.

Nov 14: Suns 97, Kings 95 OT

The AP reports: Shaquille O’Neal tied a season high with 29 points and had 13 rebounds and six assists Friday night to help the short-handed Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings 97-95 in overtime Friday night. Amare Stoudemire was the star in overtime for the Suns… Stoudemire, who finished with 12 points, was quiet through much of the game and failed to score in the second half… Grant Hill had 22 points and had nine rebounds for the Suns, while Raj Bell had 14 points and Boris Diaw added nine. Beno Udrih had 21 points and Miller had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Kings, who fell behind midway through the second quarter and never led again. Salmons scored 21 points and Hawes added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Nov 11: Pistons 100, Kings 92

The AP reports: Allen Iverson had 30 points and nine assists to win for the first time with his new team, leading the Detroit Pistons to a 100-92 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Tayshaun Prince added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who had lost their first two games since acquiring Iverson from Denver last week for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, key reserve Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb… Spencer Hawes scored 19 points and Udrih added 18 for the Kings, who had won the first three games on their four-game homestand after starting the season 0-4 on the road.